Jaguars lineman could make sense as Chiefs trade target for critical depth

The Kansas City Chiefs are front and center in most discussions leading up to the National Football League's trade deadline in early November, yet 100 percent of those rumors are focused on a single position at wide receiver. But what if another position came calling?

For the Chiefs, the roster is going to be more loaded than most given their status as front-line contenders as well as the front office's reputation as excellent scouts. The Chiefs have accumulated one solid draft class after another, which allows them to field a deep, competitive roster on both sides of the ball even as they retain their top-end talent.

But for a team coming off of an early bye and ready to withstand the rigors of a long road ahead, it might be wise to add another piece or two at key positions of need with some versatility. Specifically, the offensive line is a interesting place to add some depth.

The Chiefs might want to call upon the Jags if they're interested in adding some security up front.

Let's not forget a couple of important things when it comes to the Chiefs' offensive line.

First, the one Super Bowl appearance that's slipped from their grasp in the last half-decade is the one where they went into the game with a patchwork offensive line (that's putting it nicely). Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Chiefs offense never even had a chance to get moving after losing left tackle Eric Fisher in the previous round.

Second, the Chiefs have bled some important o-line pieces in the last couple of offseasons in Nick Allegretti and Andrew Wylie. Don't forget that both played major roles in the postseason for the Chiefs during these championship runs. Do they have the horses to do so again?

Right now, the Chiefs offensive line is in the midst of a bit of a youth movement around the core of offensive starters up front from left guard to right tackle. Around the likes of Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Jawaan Taylor, the Chiefs invested three of their seven draft choices last spring on the offensive line and that comes after the selection of Wanya Morris one year ago.

So far, the verdict is still out on the competitors at left tackle like Morris and Kingsley Suamataia. In addition, no one knows what to make of interior linemen like Hunter Nourzad or C.J. Hanson—at least not yet. Are they ready to lean on their rookies in case of an emergency?

This is what makes a potential trade so interesting up front, and it's why Walker Little might be the right fit. The Jacksonville Jaguars are going nowhere fast in 2024 without a historic turnaround for the franchise, and Little is an expiring asset for them who could at least fetch some future draft asset in return if they were willing to let him go.

For the sake of review, Walker Little was a second-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft (taken before Nick Bolton and Creed Humphrey) at No. 45 overall. As a lineman out of Stanford, he entered the league with a big frame (6'7", 315 lbs.) and bigger potential. However, he was also a very raw product, having opted out of the COVID-affected 2020 campaign after suffering a season-ending knee injury in the first game of 2019.

Basically, the Jags chose Little with little to go on (sorry, we can't resist). He was an all-conference blindside blocker when healthy, but he declared for the NFL Draft before anyone could safely assess development or trajectory with any degree of confidence. The Jags took the swing at an important position, but Walker has given them a solid swing tackle and nothing more in the last four seasons.

Here's the key for the Chiefs: Little could still be finding his footing at the NFL level in terms of potential, as he's only 25 years old and needed plenty of reps coming into the league. For the Jags, he's also started games on the left and right side while sliding into considerable reps at left guard in 2023. If he's a serviceable player who can provide some experienced versatility inside and out, that's an interesting addition to the Chiefs roster.

At this point next year, the best move for the Chiefs would be the trust their scouts and to lean on their younger players who, by then, will have a full year in Andy Reid's system as well as a better grip on the speed and strength of the game at the NFL level. For this year, however, a bit more experience up front would be a welcome addition and the Jags might have the key to rounding out that unit.